RWTH Aachen Open Access-Policy

In April 2016, in close coordination with the Senate, the Rector’s Office of RWTH Aachen has approved the University’s Open Access Policy.

"Thinking the Future“ – that’s the motto of RWTH Aachen University. It signifies presence and engagement in science and society.

The principle of Open Access serves this objective of scientific and societal engagement. If the research results of RWTH Aachen are publicly accessible, they become globally visible, are more widely received, and have greater impact. Furthermore, higher visibility in research fosters scientific competition.

RWTH Aachen supports the implementaion of the open access model as laid out in the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities

RWTH Aachen encourages its scientists and researchers to publish their research results in accordance with the open-access movement. It recommends the publication of research in peer-reviewed open-access journals and subsequent secondary publication on the RWTH publications server.

Taking the specifics of the different discipline cultures into account, the use of open access at RWTH shall be further developed. RWTH Aachen supports scientists and researchers by providing suitable infrastructures and processes, and it has contacts in place to assist researchers with questions.

The University Library and the IT Center operate and maintain the RWTH Publications server as the University’s central instrument for the implementation of the open access strategy. The University Library offers a broad range of advising and support services to facilitate the implementation of the open access paradigm.